Blog, Client Story, Families, Fundraiser/Campaign, Resource

Stronger Together: Giving Challenge 2024

by Erin Minor

March 18, 2024

Navigating conversations with someone in your life who is living with a substance use disorder (addiction) can be challenging. It is essential to offer love and support while also avoiding miscommunication and protecting your boundaries. According to an article posted in Psychology Today, author Michael J. Rounds writes that one of the key factors in recovery is having the ability to communicate with a solid support system.

Here are some strategies to effectively communicate with a loved one who is struggling with addiction:

Be Kind: Approach the person with addiction with kindness and understanding. Show that you care and avoid criticizing, insulting, or belittling them.
Choose Your Words Thoughtfully: Words matter. Avoid using stigmatizing language and harmful stereotypes about addiction. Use person-first language and speak respectfully to the person with addiction.
Educate Yourself About Addiction: Understand that addiction is a complex disorder. Educate yourself about addiction from reliable medical sources and be aware of the stigma surrounding addiction.
Listen More Than You Talk: When someone with addiction confides in you, listen without interrupting or criticizing. Continue to engage in regular conversations without making their addiction the focus.
Use Consistent Words and Actions: Communicate through both your words and actions. Be consistent in your message and communicate your boundaries effectively with the person with addiction.
Believe Them: If the person confides in you about their addiction, respect their perspective and believe them. Support their recovery and avoid making excuses for their behavior.
Understand Choice is Important in Recovery Process: Oftentimes, people in the throes of addiction don’t see any way out or that conventional ways aren’t helpful. Multiple paths to recovery offers opportunity for people to engage in recovery in a way that is meaningful to them. When this occurs, people have a greater chance of long-term recovery.
Don’t Tell Them What to Do: Respect their autonomy when they choose their path to recovery. Avoid dictating what they must do and show support and respect for their efforts.

By implementing these strategies, you can offer love and support to a loved one with addiction while also protecting your boundaries and avoiding miscommunication. It is important to approach these conversations with empathy and understanding and always to prioritize the well-being of both yourself and the person with addiction.

Barriers to effective recovery typically include cost, lack of insurance, social stigma, convenience, and the lack of comprehensive treatment. We created a holistic and innovative model at Harvest House to address these barriers. Addiction is a disease that knows no limits – it can affect anyone regardless of upbringing, gender, age, and cultural identity. We take a holistic approach to residential recovery, focusing on the four pillars upholding a sustainable life – purpose, home, health, and community. We recognize that transformation over reformation leads to lasting recovery solutions.

If you or a loved one is struggling with substance use or addiction and would like to learn more about Harvest House’s addiction recovery Freedom Program, contact our office at 941-953-3154.

Stronger Together-Giving Challenge 2024

The only sign of her nerves was the wringing of her hands and the slight tremor in her voice. You would never guess Ray’s story to see her on the street or in the grocery store. (watch her story here)

Sara was visibly nervous. Her eyes were wide, and her body shook visibly. Would she be able to stand alone in front of a room of 350 people and share her journey? (read her story here)

Both of these women did it scared. They shared their stories. In Micheal’s on East on Wednesday, February 28th, close to 350 people heard how homelessness is not a respecter of persons. It does not lie in waiting for only the person with an addiction or the one struggling with mental illness.

After sharing, Sarah and Ray were relieved. They were proud that they had been brave enough to give insight into their journeys that may help each of us understand that we need each other.

The response from our Home Again Luncheon 2024 attendees was phenomenal. You truly showed up as the village for these women and many more. In the coming emails and on our social media platforms, we will share more stories of how the funds raised are specifically impacting our clients.

As we prepared for The Giving Challenge, we chose to stick with the idea of rebuilding the village.

After the 2024 Home Again Luncheon

Sara and Ray returned from the Home Again Luncheon feeling belonging, accepted, and thankful that their voices were heard and valued. They felt confident that their village had enlarged that day.

They didn’t meet each attendee, nor do they know all of the donors’ or Harvest House volunteers’ names, but they are confident that they have a village. Because of that village, their today and tomorrow look very different than they did.

Please mark your calendars and set your alarm for April 9th and 10 from noon to noon and go to our Giving Challenge page and donate. Thanks to the Patterson Foundation, every $25 up to $100 is matched.

I genuinely believe that there is no more excellent gift than knowing that the money that you have worked so hard to earn when shared, is helping a mama get into safe and affordable housing so she can regain custody of her child; helping a man begin to understand and gain tools to heal from the emotional trauma from his past so he can find his way back to his true self, and knowing that a young adult who wakes up is beginning to grasp that they are valuable.

They are building their lives confidently, knowing the village they are creating chose them.

Your donated dollars do so much more than pay bills and salaries, even more than therapy and education. These dollars help shape lives that impact our communities, lives that become full, and hearts that embrace the idea that they are no longer trying to do this thing called life alone!